''Planchonella reticulata'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the sapodilla

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology)">order Ericales">family (biology)">family of flowering plants belonging to th ...

. It is a shrub or tree endemic to east-central

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

refers to the reticulate venation (network-like pattern of the veins) on the leaves.

Description

It is a small tree growing to 6 m, occasionally 10 m, in height, with a watery, white

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

. The alternate, oval

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are usually 40–80 mm long and 20–40 mm wide. The inconspicuous green flowers, 8 mm long, appear from May to July. The pointed, egg-shaped fruits are 13 mm long.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to the French territory of

in the south-west

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. It has a scattered distribution on the central

ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are usua ...

massif and along the east coast of Grand Terre, from Goro to Tontouta and from Canala to Poro, and on the Isle of Pines. It grows in shrubland (maquis) or dense humid forest over

rock from 5 to 960 metres elevation. Some authorities list the species as native to

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

. The Lord Howe population is now classed as ''Planchonella myrsinifolia'' subsp. ''howeana''.''Planchonella myrsinifolia'' subsp. ''howeana'' (F.Muell.) Jessup
New South Wales Flora Online. Retrieved 9 June 2023.

References

reticulata Endemic flora of New Caledonia Plants described in 1890 Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon {{Sapotaceae-stub